Form Comparison

95% Curcumin Extract vs Curcumin with Piperine

How 95% curcumin extract and curcumin with piperine differ in potency, absorption, tolerance, and cost.

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Quick verdict. Piperine blocks curcumin's glucuronidation and efflux, raising plasma curcumin about twentyfold in one study, and it adds almost nothing to the cost. The catch is that it slows clearance of many drugs, including some with narrow dosing margins. Choose curcumin with piperine if you take no regular medications, and plain extract or a piperine-free enhanced form if you do.

Side by Side

Curcumin Extract (95% Curcuminoids) Curcumin with Piperine
Absorption Low Moderate
How it is absorbed Poorly soluble and rapidly conjugated in the gut wall and liver; plasma curcumin after gram doses is often near the detection limit. Piperine inhibits glucuronidation and P-glycoprotein efflux. 20 mg of piperine raised plasma curcumin about twentyfold over curcumin alone in one small human study.
Typical dose 500-2,000 mg daily 500-2,000 mg curcumin with 5-20 mg piperine
Common uses osteoarthritis pain osteoarthritis pain, inflammation
Side effects GI upset, loose stools. Piperine slows clearance of many drugs.
Cost Low Low
Also called standardized curcuminoids, C3 Complex BioPerine, curcumin with black pepper extract

When to Choose Curcumin Extract (95% Curcuminoids)

Choose 95% curcumin extract when you want the form most trials used at the lowest cost. The form in most osteoarthritis trials, which used 1,000-1,500 mg daily. Low blood levels did not stop it from matching ibuprofen in one large trial.

Curcumin Extract (95% Curcuminoids)

The form most osteoarthritis trials used, and the least expensive per milligram of curcuminoids.

What to look for: 95% curcuminoids, 500 mg per capsule, taken two or three times daily with food.

Find on iHerb Affiliate link

When to Choose Curcumin with Piperine

Choose curcumin with piperine when you take no medications with narrow dosing margins. The same mechanism that raises curcumin levels raises levels of other drugs.

Curcumin with Piperine

Effective at raising curcumin levels by slowing drug clearance, which is the problem for anyone on medication.

What to look for: Only if you take no interacting drugs. Piperine content stated, usually 5-10 mg.

Find on iHerb Affiliate link

Products on Titrate

5,316 of the 214,745 labels in the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database list turmeric and curcumin as an active ingredient (2,641 on market). 1,778 are sold as turmeric and curcumin products by name.

Open supplement search

Turmeric and Curcumin does not have its own search category yet. Each product above links to its full label in the NIH database.

Related

References

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Turmeric.

EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). Scientific Opinion on the re-evaluation of curcumin (E 100) as a food additive. EFSA J. 2010;8(9):1679.

Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, Majeed M, Rajendran R, Srinivas PS. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers. Planta Med. 1998;64(4):353-356.

Anand P, Kunnumakkara AB, Newman RA, Aggarwal BB. Bioavailability of curcumin: problems and promises. Mol Pharm. 2007;4(6):807-818.

Antony B, Merina B, Iyer VS, Judy N, Lennertz K, Joyal S. A pilot cross-over study to evaluate human oral bioavailability of BCM-95CG (Biocurcumax), a novel bioenhanced preparation of curcumin. Indian J Pharm Sci. 2008;70(4):445-449.

Cuomo J, Appendino G, Dern AS, et al. Comparative absorption of a standardized curcuminoid mixture and its lecithin formulation. J Nat Prod. 2011;74(4):664-669.

Sasaki H, Sunagawa Y, Takahashi K, et al. Innovative preparation of curcumin for improved oral bioavailability. Biol Pharm Bull. 2011;34(5):660-665.

Kuptniratsaikul V, Dajpratham P, Taechaarpornkul W, et al. Efficacy and safety of Curcuma domestica extracts compared with ibuprofen in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a multicenter study. Clin Interv Aging. 2014;9:451-458.

Daily JW, Yang M, Park S. Efficacy of turmeric extracts and curcumin for alleviating the symptoms of joint arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. J Med Food. 2016;19(8):717-729.

Nelson KM, Dahlin JL, Bisson J, Graham J, Pauli GF, Walters MA. The essential medicinal chemistry of curcumin. J Med Chem. 2017;60(5):1620-1637.

Halegoua-DeMarzio D, Navarro V, Ahmad J, et al. Liver injury associated with turmeric: a growing problem. Ten cases from the Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network [DILIN]. Am J Med. 2023;136(2):200-206.